Nipissing MPP Monique Smith News Release ******************** Local veterans were honoured at a dinner celebration at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 445, in Callander on Sunday.
Local veterans were honoured at a dinner celebration at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 445, in Callander on Sunday. The Honourable Monique Smith, MPP for Nipissing joined the annual Veteran’s Appreciation dinner and congratulated the Legion on their newly renovated kitchen space made possible with a $15,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) grant.
“Royal Canadian Legion Halls are important hubs for our communities,” said MPP Smith. “The updated kitchen facility will assist with the hall’s many events that serve the entire Callander area for years to come.”
The Callander Legion played host to veterans and their families by providing afternoon entertainment and dinner, which was attended by other dignitaries from the community. Mayor Hector Lavigne, Veterans Affairs Chief, Chief of Client Services for North Bay – Dwight Floyd and guest speaker Sherry Culling, Royal Canadian Legion Provincial Officer from North Bay were on hand for the celebrations.
The Legion hall received a grant from the OTF in June 2009 to install new, energy-efficient appliances for the kitchen. The 20-year-old appliances that the Legion had were increasingly expensive to fix and were not energy efficient. In addition, the kitchen floors were updated to ensure safety and offer a better work space for staff and volunteers.
"With this support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Callander Legion can continue to service its members and the whole community,” said Branch 445 President Larrie Coulson. “The Legion is pleased to now be able to do its part for energy conservation, at the same time, providing a safe working area for its all important volunteers."
Established in 1947, the Royal Canadian Legion in Callander offers a great community space for members and local residents to get together and participate in various activities. The Legion holds various activities for its members such as baseball, darts, cards, snooker, horseshoe tournaments, Friday night dinners, banquets and dances.
A leading grantmaker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, the OTF builds healthy and vibrant communities. www.trilliumfoundation.org.
